Commonwealth of Independent States
Official title
General Consumer Price Index.
Scope
The index is computed quarterly and relates to all urban and rural
families in all member States of the Commonwealth (CIS).
Official base
The base period of the index used in national publications is generally
one year = 100.
Source of weights
The weights were derived from a family expenditure survey conducted
during a whole of 1989, covering a sample of 90,000 families in the
member States of the Commonwealth (CIS) living in urban and rural areas.
The weights were not adjusted to take into account price
changes between the survey period and the base period.
Weights and composition
| Major groups
| Number of items
| Weights
| Approximate number of price quotations
|
| Food
| 58 | 35.168 | ...
|
| Alcoholic beverages
| 4 | 9.620 | ...
|
| Clothing and footwear
| 27 | 22.616 | ...
|
| Furniture, household goods and appliances
| 11 | 11.805 | ...
|
| Cleaning products, personal and medical care, tobacco, fuel, etc.
| 9 | 7.070 | ...
|
| Services:
|
| Repairs, maintenance, and recreation
| 11 | 6.462 | ...
|
| Transport and communication
| 2 | 3.346 | ...
|
| Rent and rates
| 1 | 3.418 | ...
|
| Other services
| 1 | 0.496 | ...
|
| Total
| 124 | 100.000 | ...
|
Household consumption expenditure
All expenditure intended for consumption is covered, including gifts.
All types of taxes or contributions, insurance premiums, income in kind,
and owner-occupied housing are excluded.
Method of data collection
Statistical investigators collect prices in approximately 100,000 retail
outlets and service establishments throughout the member States of the
CIS.
Localities and outlets were selected on the basis of data on the
volume and structure of commodity turnover. Price collection takes
place seven to ten days before the end of each month. Data on medical
care, communal services, transport and communications are obtained on a
fixed day of the month. Trade-in goods at speculative prices are taken
into account by collecting black-market prices at the end of each
quarter. However, the interference in average prices caused by
shortages of goods sold at more accessible, lower set prices through
State outlets is not fully taken into consideration.
Housing
Not available.
Specification of varieties
Detailed specifications are given for each item, describing the raw
material used, quality and basic characteristics of the product.
Substitution, quality change, etc.
Quality changes are estimated during the price collection period at
outlets. The price of the new quality is adjusted using a linking
factor.
Seasonal items
No adjustment is made to seasonal fluctuations of item prices.
Computation
The index is computed according to the Laspeyres formula as a weighted
arithmetic average with fixed base, using weights corresponding to 1989.
The general index for the Commonwealth of Independent States is an
aggregate of local indices of the CIS member States, with weights
corresponding to the employment structure, income levels and general
turnover of goods.
Other information
In a number of member States, another CPI is calculated for a standard
set of goods and services for a minimum subsistence level budget.
The data for Consumer Price Index described above
were not yet available in the ILO at the time
present volume was published.
Organisation and publication
Committee on Statistics: Narodnoe Khozyaistvo
(National
Economy).
Idem: Sotsialnoe Razvitie
(Social Development).
Idem: Statistical Bulletin
(Special issues).